Improvement in refrigerators



REES & TEVIS.

Refrigerator.

Wnesses.-

Ny PErERs. Phumulhngmphnr. wamingmn. nc.

UNITED STATES Trice.

PATENT CHARLES B. BEES AND J. B. TEVIS, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

IIVIPRVEMENT IN REFRIGERATORS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 56,094, dated July 3,1866.

To all whom it 'may concern.:

Be it known that we, CHARLES B. BEES and JOSEPH B. TEvIs, both of thecity and county of Philadelphia, and State of Pennsylvania, haveinvented an Improved Refrigerator; and we do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, referencebeing had to the accompanying draw ings, and to the letters of referencemarked thereon.

Our invention consists in the use of an icebox, C, in a refrigerator,which is so devised and situated that the ice is constantly in contactwith the air of the refrigerator, keeping it dry and lowering thetemperature of the air, and in retaining the dripwater from the ice inmetallic or other pipes, substantially as is hereinafter shown.

On reference to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of thisspecification, Figure l is an end view, partly sectioned, showing theinterior of the refrigerator andthe end and interior of the ice-box C.Fig. 2 is a side view, sectioned, showing the interior of therefrigerator and the interior and side of the ice-box; and Fig. 3 is aplan view, showing the horizontal and vertical pipes E and F.

Similar letters refer to similar parts in the several views.

A is a refrigerator composed of an outer shell, B, and an inner shell,B, the space abetween them being lled with any non-conducting material.Gis an ice-box, the top of which fitstight against the top of the innershell. It is held in place by a ridge-pole, b, which passes through itat a short distance from its bottom, and has itsends xed to the innershell, and also by its ends fw w', projecting over and secured to theinner shell. It is constructed with air-tight sides and without abottom. c c c, Src., are slats or gratings, one end of each being fixedto the ridge-pole, while the other end is secured to the sides of theicebox, the gratings of one side, w, forming a double incline or anangle with 'those of the other side, as shown. c c e', Ste., are dripboards or shelves, whose contiguous edges overhang, situated beneath thegrating, with an air-space, y, between them, and having a parallel, ornearly so, inclination to the gratings, their lengths runnin g crosswisewith the lengths of the gratings, and are `carried by cleats fff, Src.,fixed to the ends of the icebox, and are shown set at a distance apartequivalent to the thickness of the cleats,

though we do not confine ourselves to any specified distance. A space,g, is left between the edge of the last board, c', of the shelving, ateach side and the side of the box.

D is a drip-pan, one being at each side of the refrigerator, whichcommunicates with ahorizontal pipe, E, traversing three sides, Fig. 3,by means of the vertical pipes F F, 812e., of which any number can beused, the said horizontal pipe being raised a short distance from thefloor, and has one end,h,projected through the end of the refrigerator,and also has a trycock, t', inserted into that end, its nozzle openingupward conveniently near the top. By it a determinate height of water ispreserved in the pipe without fear of drainingit or any liability of asudden iniux of the outside air raising the temperature, as would be thecase were the nozzle to open downward and also be constantly open.

The ice-boxGis so constructed as to leave an air-space, m, between itsends c o and the inner shell, Bf, for the free circulation of air, itbeing supplied through the ventilators a a,

they being covered with gauze to prevent the entrance of dust, 825e. Thesides of the shell B form the sides of the ice-box. The sides and endsof the ice-box above the slats c have battens fr r r, &c., fixed to themto allow a free, uninterrupted circulation ofair around the entire bodyof the ice by preventing it from bearing against the sides and ends. Thelinings of the drip-pans D D, or the backs of the pans, when constructedof metal, are carried up the sides of the inner shell to above thebottom of the ice-box, as shown at c, Fig. 1.

The refrigerator, as shown, is a parallelopipedon; but we do not confineourselves to precise forms, since the shape must conform V to thesituation to be occupied.

Ice being put into the box C, through the trap G, onto the slats c,which carry it, the air contained in the refrigerator circulates freelythrough the openings o between t-he shelves e e', Sto., and through theinterstices of the gratings or slats c, under, around, and over the ice,acquiring a uniform density and reducing its temperature to nearly thatof the ice. As the ice melts the water from it drops through theinterstices of the slats c onto the shelves, over which it flows anddrops into the pans D D, thence through the vertical pipes F F, int-othe horizontal pipe E, where it is allowed to remain to cool the pipes,thereby assisting to keep down the temperature. The water droppingthrough the space included between the slats c and the shelves e alsoaids materially in reducing the temperature.

On the vertical pipesF F being partly filled with ice, it was found thatit sank down into the drip-water in the horizontal pipes, there-` bymelting vastly faster than it otherwise would if kept dry, and that thecold was greatly increased by keeping the ice high up in the pipes. Tothat end we employ an ad- .justable carrying-block, p, Fig. 2, onebeing' suspended centrally in each pipe by a takeup chain, q, or othersecured to the drip-pan.

H is a double door, filled with any non-conducting substance, leadinginto the refrigerator. The meats, fruits, vegetables, and other articlesto be preserved are fixed to hooks or stowed away on shelves arrangedaround the sides.

and placed either on one or both sides of the refrigerator,substantially as shown.

In testimony whereof we hereunto set our hands to this specification inpresence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES B. BEES. JOSEPH B. TEVIS.

Witnesses W. W. DOUGHERTY, WM. R. GREBLE.

